Innumerable
by Charmkeeper
Summary: OneShot. After attending to some business, Hiei pays Kurama a visit. A question is asked, and, as always, Kurama's answer is vague.


Whenever Hiei visited the human world, he made sure to visit Kurama. Sometimes, his visit to this world was purely for that reason, he had a request, or an injury that the other would inevitably be knowledgeable about, or capable of carrying out. More rarely, he came to the human world for another reason, but even then he made sure to stop by Kurama's home. The other demon was as sly as the animal he had once been, and he would know if he did not visit. More than that, the next time he did visit Kurama would get this look on his face, he would say nothing, but that look would say it all. Hiei could take being scolded, yelled at, and even insulted, but it only took one of Kurama's gazes to silence him.

Today, Hiei had come to the human world on other business, business he'd already taken care of, and didn't care to spend more time thinking about, but before he made his way back to one of the entries back to the demon world, he stopped by a place he'd once known well, to a scene he still knew well. Like a picture, forever frozen in time, Kurama sat at his desk, some book or another open before his eyes.

Without knocking or anything, he slid the window open and entered the fox demon's room. Kurama was not dull of sense, he knew he was there already, even if he was taking his time to acknowledge him.

It was several more seconds before he leaned away from the book, stretching his arms, and then turned toward Hiei. "Good evening," he said that with a smile that was somewhere between welcoming and scheming. "What brings you here today, Hiei? You don't need another flower, do you?" Today he was in a teasing mood, it seemed. Kurama's mood was flexible, shifting to the situation he felt was at hand. He was teasing because he already knew that this was a leisure visit, and not one of business...yet he still asked.

"I was in town."

"I know."

Internally, Hiei fumed a little. He was such a know it all, and what was worse was that he was a know it all that was actually always right. He had known this from the start though, from their first meeting to when he'd chosen him to help them steal the treasures from the Underworld, and even afterward, when they had remained "partners" in a sense, for a long time, helping each other through situations that they may not have escaped on their own, even if Hiei's own pride would have never allowed him to state that he ever needed assistance. "If you knew that, then you knew I'd be by."

"I did, though I did not know exactly when." Idly, Kurama reached out and shifted the pages of his book between his fingers, his chin resting neatly in his other hand. The teasing smile was gone, replaced by a solemn look that made his entire being look...effortless, in a way Hiei had come to think only he could. After all, he had once shifted between his lives so easily, it seemed, being a demon that had been a winner of The Dark Tournament, yet also being...what did the humans call it? A devoted son. Such demands had only grown greater during the time when he'd gone to Mukuro and the other to Yomi, having to be in the demon world for greater lengths of time, and also dealing with his mother in her new marriage. Such difficult tasks, yet if it had ever been a strain on him, he seemed to never show it.

After a few moments he let his hand drop away from the book again, and his eyes came to rest on Hiei once more. "I don't feel like sparring today." The fire demon wasn't surprised to hear this. At this particular moment, the fox demon seemed rather wrapped up in his human life, and, as much as Hiei could not understand that, the mundane quality of life he lived here, he would not press the issue. It was not as though anyone could force Kurama to do anything without consequences.

"Then what do you want to do?"

Kurama tilted his head to one side in thought before rising to his feet and making his way toward the window. "It's a clear night outside, why don't we go sit on the roof?"

"And do what?"

Kurama raised his eyebrows in amusement, his expression one that said the answer should be obvious. "Look at the stars."

Looking at the stars? "How dull."

That amused smile was starting to work its way onto the other demon's lips again. "Come along, Hiei."

They went up to the roof, one after the other, and the taller of them lay himself down on the shingles, his bright eyes looking at nothing but the sky above them. Hiei sat, looking at nothing but Kurama. He just couldn't understand. He knew how powerful the old soul was, especially in the form of the youko. Hiei could sense Kurama's powerful aura, yet, if he just sat here and looked at him, he was merely a simpleminded human, content to look at the sky, and Kurama was anything but simpleminded. "Kurama."

"Yes, Hiei?"

"Why do you stay here?" If someone had been listening in on them, the question might have needed more elaboration, but Hiei knew Kurama knew what he meant. How old was this frail human body of his now? Twenty? Had he not played this role long enough?

"Well, I considered getting my own apartment, but I want to stay near my mother for as long as possible, I think I can get away with a couple more years..."

Hiei glowered. "That is not what I meant."

Slowly, Kurama closed his eyes. "I know that."

"Then answer the question."

A sigh, an opening of the eyes, and then, "Look at the sky, Hiei."

"Why?"

"Just do it." Hiei did so silently. It wasn't as though he'd never seen the night sky in the human world before. There were stars, but it was mostly black, with the moon waning off to his left. "And?"

"And tell me how many stars there are."

The fire demon glanced down at the fox demon, but Kurama only raised his eyebrows in a way that said he was serious, and so Hiei looked back up, and started to count. At first, counting was easy, but as the minutes began to roll by, he began to realize that he was counting stars twice, or skipping over stars, or that he'd forget where he was, and would have to start completely over.

After ten minutes or so, Hiei grimaced, "This is ridiculous. I'm not going to count them." What was the point of it anyway, and what did they have to do with his inquiry?

"Not going to? Or can't?" His lack of an answer was apparently all the answer that Kurama really needed, and he sat up, "The stars are exactly like my reasons for choosing to live this human life; innumerable."

On occasion, Kurama would use a long word that Hiei did not know the meaning of. This was one of those times, as he had never heard anyone use the word innumerable, but Hiei did not need to ask or pretend to know what it meant. The context made it clear enough. Hiei could not count the stars, and Kurama could not count the reasons why he stayed. "And what about reasons you might have for abandoning...this?"

"There are a number of those too, but I can easily count them, and they do not make up for what I would lose."

"Is that so?"

"It is," Kurama said with a nod. "You might believe otherwise, but you yourself account for a great number of the reasons why I chose to stay here."

"I do?" Hiei could not help himself from raising an eyebrow. How did that work? If it were up to him, Kurama would have abandoned the persona of Shuichi Minamino a long time ago. This human life of his was not befitting a demon of his power. Hiei's life in the demon world may not have been as ideal as he might have wanted, but it was far superior to what he saw Kurama doing with his life every time they met.

"Absolutely."

"Care to explain?"

The fox demon smiled, and then he shook his head. "I do not."

Hiei frowned, and then set his chin on his knees silently stewing. He did not feel like staring at the night sky any longer, but he did not feel like he was ready to leave either. Talking to Kurama always left him feeling like he wanted more in the way of answers, or it just raised more questions, but Hiei knew that his long time partner was done speaking in a helpful manner, and with a huff, he lifted his head again. "Innumerable, huh?"

A nod. "Innumerable."


End file.
